I came to conclusion that autistic cant separate big picture from details, they see only the details, but they kinda think its the whole picture. Like if they got a play car and some play road for it, they wont see that the car is part of the road, but they see the car and the road as separate big pictures that they start looking in details. If you take them to forest, they will see the trees, but not the forest, because they see trees as separate big pictures that they want to look in detail.

This theory is based on my little knowledge about autistic people, so dont think that this is some ultimate truth.

Would be nice to hear what people who know autistic people say about this.

Actually i think the increase in asd does mainly affect children, i don't agree that as many adults are being diagnosed or that the ratio is the same in adults. I have a link below....Study: Childhood Rise in Autism Cases Real
but it would be fair to say that even without this link (and there are many to support this theory) i believe it is becomming more frequent in each year that passes, the reason i believe this is because i feel it and see it everywhere.
It used to be the case when my child was first diagnosed (5 years ago)that when we went to the playground (or anywhere out) it seemed that i was the only one around, with few exceptions, with a child with autism. Even in the last several years that amount has dramatically increased, i now see many children with asd, i talk to people and everyone i speak to now knows a child with autism.
I don't believe this is due simply to diagnostic criteria or indeed better awareness, it seems to me there is a boom, becomming ever more frequent.

That you "feel it and see it everywhere" is precisely a function of the awareness being higher, which is part of what leads to more people seeking diagnosis or even knowing what to look for! 20-30+ years ago, there were just as many children with autism, but the ones with lower intelligence were being labelled retarded and the ones with higher intelligence were slipping through the cracks altogether. They were not identified in any way. My husband probably would have gotten an Asperger's diagnosis under the new criteria. He wasn't counted under LD or special ed because he was in gifted classes, and would have been even with a diagnosis. Dual identifications are very, very common for kids with ASD.

The one who buggers a fire burns his penis-anonymous graffiti in the basilica at Pompeii

GemPOP, I think because you have a child with autism you are struggling to see it as something that makes him special, like you did with dyslexia. This is a sweet tendency and it means you are a good mom. To that end, I think you would enjoy looking into the Neurodiversity movement. Ari Ne'eman, the young man with autism who was appointed to President Obama's Council on Disability, is one of the voices in the movement. It's a source for a hopeful and positive outlook, quite a contrast from the gloom & doom we hear so much of from other sources. BUT, a big part of the movement is an acknowledgement that the likely cause of the "epidemic" is increased awareness, widened diagnostic criteria, and the stigma softening that the Neurodiversity folks are working towards. Autism is a part of the neurological landscape of humanity, and probably always has been. We're just seeing it more clearly now.

Why would it be an "advancement" in evolution? What kind of advantages does it bring, compared to another person with similar "intelligence" levels, but who's not autistic?

Ever heard the saying "too much of a good thing"? That might apply here. THhre are certain traits that are adventagous when mild, but turn nasty in the extreme. I mentioned it in a different thread not long ago, but I'll say it again here -sickle cell anemea.

It's a genetic trait that causes the red blood cells to curve. If you have one copy, the cells curve just enough to grant resistant to maleria. If you have two, they curve so much that they have trouble carrying oxygen, and the person becomes weak and enervated.

Autism may represent a similar trait. Perhaps it's mild form gives an advantage when looking out for details, or over ruling ones instincts. In the extreme, it turns into autism.

BUT, a big part of the movement is an acknowledgement that the likely cause of the "epidemic" is increased awareness, widened diagnostic criteria, and the stigma softening that the Neurodiversity folks are working towards. Autism is a part of the neurological landscape of humanity, and probably always has been. We're just seeing it more clearly now.

I agree with this. I think that mostly it's just the fact that nowadays we have more resources and more understanding not only for autism but similar illnesses as well, that it's getting much easier to diagnose kids earlier than before. This then appears as a surge in the actual numbers, where I believe the numbers have always been the same, just unrecognized.

I believe it was also you, Ivy, who said that autism appears in lower percentages among the poor and the lower classes, which I believe can be attributed to the fact that they don't have the access to the same resources as the higher classes do, thus many go undiagnosed.

That said, I do not believe there is much advantage in having autism, and I certainly hope the OP doesn't wish it in any way. Regardless of the occasional bright sides, autism is still a debilitating illness, and I don't see it as evolutionary at all. That is not to say that it doesn't, as mentioned before, indeed have its bright sides, however they are very rare and it is difficult for those who suffer from autism to participate and function in society.

Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it.

I don't think of it as an advantage, but I also think some (SOME) of the disadvantages are a side effect of living in a culture that isn't entirely accepting of differences. Although that is getting better, IMO.

Yes, there are other disadvantages that aren't culture-dependent. I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish my son were a bit less opaque to me. But dwelling on the negatives seems counterproductive. It's true that my kid has some difficulty communicating, and it frustrates him, which hurts my heart. But with help he's getting better at it all the time, and his unique perspective is a daily joy to me. And he's an extremely happy person 90% of the time- can't really argue with that. I just hope he stays that way and his natural curiosity and glee isn't tempered by negative public opinions of autistic people.

The one who buggers a fire burns his penis-anonymous graffiti in the basilica at Pompeii

Ever heard the saying "too much of a good thing"? That might apply here. THhre are certain traits that are adventagous when mild, but turn nasty in the extreme. I mentioned it in a different thread not long ago, but I'll say it again here -sickle cell anemea.

It's a genetic trait that causes the red blood cells to curve. If you have one copy, the cells curve just enough to grant resistant to maleria. If you have two, they curve so much that they have trouble carrying oxygen, and the person becomes weak and enervated.

Autism may represent a similar trait. Perhaps it's mild form gives an advantage when looking out for details, or over ruling ones instincts. In the extreme, it turns into autism.

Okay, I can see how having a percentage of the population which is really detail-oriented can benefit humanity. However, I can't see how a whole population of people being very detail-oriented is more effective than a mix of people who are and people who aren't, that's why I think it's difficult to configure such characteristics as an universal advancement in mankind.

Anyway, my opinion (probably wrong, I can see the holes in this reasoning myself) is that any "mild" form of these psychological "dysfunctions" - ADD, autism, etc. would be better left undiagnosed, because it adds further pressure and it might erroneously lead a person to associate all his-her problems to his-her "condition".